4.05.2013

I vacuum bagged the salon door and will now spend a few days sanding and painting with the remainder of the Awlcraft 2000.......I thought I was finished with all the painting.

for strength and weight reasons, I elected to forgo a full length window along this door but rather chose to create a strong sliding doorway with a vertical carbon fiber stiffener as the handle. I used unidirectional glass on either side of the edges of the door to add additional strength in case I ever get a rogue wave over the stern.

4.03.2013

In regards to catamaran watertanks, I thought it wise to incorporate a "flop" pickup tube inside the two water tanks so that in the unlikely event of an inversion incident, any remaining fresh water in the tanks could be accessed via exposed plumbing....... otherwise, that water may as well be on the moon.

Here is a photo of the under side of one of the tops of the built in water tanks with a flexible pick up line and a weighted end.

4.02.2013

I decided to use Bamboo cutting boards for backing plates for the deck cleats. The theory is that their material properties are similar in character to the deck materials thereby creating a more uniform structure in witch to absorb the loads that will be seen by the cleats. Adding to that; they are stronger than plywood, rot proof and lightweight so this makes me believe that they are an appropriate material for this.

And here's a photo of a bamboo backing plate being bonded into the inner portion of the hull and deck.....

I used a thick mixture of epoxy and cabosil to bed the plate under the cleat mounting location then used strips of peel ply to keep the glue in place. Tomorrow when the epoxy is cured, I will drill the mounting holes and use stainless fasteners and washers to bring the cleats home.

4.01.2013

I used my Sailwrite "brother" to sew the bunks for the boys room using Phifertex fabric. ( click to see sample here ) This stuff is a reinforced screen fabric that allows sand and water to flow right through so the bunks should stay fairly clean.

Here's a shot of the bunks looking out towards the stairs into the boys room.

I used carbon fiber windsurf mast sections as side supports for these births. They are super strong and lightweight.